February 27, 2015

Making the Cut


As you can tell, the biggest change this week has been my hair. Woo! A whole 15 inches got snipped off! Crazy, right? I actually couldn't believe that much got cut (or that I had that much length!). 

Why the change? 

To be frank, my intent has always been to donate my hair. I kept saying I wanted to donate hair for years but I didn't maintain the patience to grow my hair out. Finally, I made a serious effort to commit to the cause. 

I took care of my hair the best way I could. 


  • I didn't use a lot of heating tools on it (I let my hair air dry a majority of the time) and when I did, I applied lots of protective product on my strands. 
  • I concentrated conditioner to the ends often (since that is the weakest part of your hair as it continues to grow). 
  • I brushed out the tangles (gently since I didn't want to cause any strands to break). 
  • And I made sure I didn't chemically treat my hair (perms, straighteners or color) since organizations often can't use hair that's been chemically treated.

Growing out my hair didn't require too much extra effort but I was very conscious of what I was doing and continued to be patient. It took me about 1.5 years. 

Choosing where to donate.
The most difficult part was choosing where to donate. When people think of donating hair, Locks of Love comes to mind. But, as my hair got longer and I explained to people I was donating my hair, people referenced a lot of discrepancies (here and here) about Locks of Love, which made me question donating there. So I researched a bit online (and even read this article) and decided against them. 


While I don't personally know of any wrong doing, I didn't want to question my donation either. I looked into each organization I knew about (Wigs for Kids, Pantene Beautiful Lengths and Children With Hair Loss). There are pros and cons to every organization but I decided to go with Pantene Beautiful Lengths
Their website was easy to navigate, which made it easy to find answers to a lot of my questions. To me, they seemed:


Time to cut.
I didn't have a specific timeline to make the cut. To be totally honest, I got tired of the amount of hair I had. There was a time I was enjoying having longer hair but everyone reaches her limit. I stopped "enjoying" long hair about six months ago.

I called my hair stylist and she was excited to see me after so long. I notified her ahead of time that I was donating my hair so she knew what to do when I saw her. I saved some photos of a style of cut I wanted (always be prepared!) and was ready to get it done.

Without trying to sound dramatic here, I was anxious about the cut. I realized I was hiding a bit behind this length of hair. People noticed my hair first and that became a bit of a security blanket for me. Going short meant people would see more of "me" than they had in a while. This feeling surprised me since I always knew my intention was to cut my hair. I started to wonder how I would look and then I felt stupid for thinking that way since my hair was supposed to go towards a good cause. And here I was...concerned about my looks. I shook off the vanity concerns and knew I was ready to make the cut.

When I saw my hair stylist, she was even surprised by how much hair there was on my head. I told her what I wanted for a cut, she tied off my hair (into several pony tails since I had SO much hair), and SNIPPED away. It was insanely liberating. When she was done making the cuts, I instantly felt wonderful

After the cut.

I want to state that I know I didn't do anything miraculous here. To break it all down, I got a hair cut and saved the hair to donate. But, for me, it was actually committing to a cause. I always admired those who would do something with the intent to do something for someone else. Finally, I was doing what I said I would do. I definitely hope my hair is used.

There are so many people who are going through difficult times and if cutting my hair can make someone else feel better then that is truly the least I can do
There is much more I can do for others in the future and this is just one item off the list. 

Have you ever donated your hair?

Disclaimer:  I'm not associated with any organization for hair donation and no one has sponsored this post. I conducted my own research and chose an organization based on my research. 


23 comments:

  1. Good for you for paying it forward! I learned a lot through your post and your hair is simply stunning!!! Nicole xo

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  2. I'm so proud of you! I just thought you wanted longer hair since it just seemed to keep growing. Now I know there was a purpose. Congrats to you and I'm sure your hair will help those in need because your hair always looked thick and beautiful! Love the new cut! <3

    toni

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  3. You look great in that outstanding hair style.

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  4. What you did is wonderful and it will make a world of difference to someone so cheers to you!

    Rowena @ rolala loves

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  5. What a fabulous post! Your hair looks so good Nancy! It's sassy, edgy and you are rocking it! I love that you donated your hair and researched it. SO AWESOME!
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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  6. I just love that you did this. It is very generous of you. And your new hair looks GREAT!

    bisous
    Suzanne
    http://www.suzannecarillo.com

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  7. This is so awesome!! I can't believe you cut off that much hair! It doesn't look like that much, so that's incredible! It's good that you did research to find a place to donate that felt right to you.
    ~Sara

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  8. Nancy,, I beg to differ with you You did some miraculous, you just saved the self esteem of someone who is dealing with a dire illness! That is amazing!
    And you look gorgeous to boot! easy styling from here on in. That will be handy!
    Hope you are feeling well!
    xx, Elle
    http://mydailycostume.com

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  9. That's such a kind thing that you did :) I love the new do on you!

    Mili

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  10. You did such a beautiful thing by donating your hair to someone that will truly appreciate it. Since I have premature grays since I was in my teens and too vain to let it go gray, no one wants me hair. I love your new do!

    Alice
    www.happinessatmidlife.com

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  11. I've never donated my hair because my hair takes forever to grow and it only goes to mid-length when it does. Props to you for cutting you hair by the way, many don't have the courage to do it. I remember growing my hair out for over 10 years but when I finally cut it I felt so liberated. Now what I always say is "it's just hair, it'll grow back.
    Princess Audu

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  12. So very cool! And your hair looks awesome short!

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  13. This looks so beautiful.

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  14. That's so amazing that you were able to done. Such a great cause! And, as I've said, the new 'do looks lovely :)

    -Jen

    www.vibrantbeautyblog.com

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  15. Good for you! I have always wanted to do this.
    Melanie @ meandmr.com

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  16. Very inspiring post! You look so chic with the hairstyle, sweetie. Love it! Do let me know if you're following me in the social media sites, & I'll follow you back right away. xoxo

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  17. Awesome! Love this so much. Hope you have an awesome new week (and month) :)

    xoxo;
    STYLEFORMANKIND.COM
    Facebook / Bloglovin

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  18. You did a wonderful thing and you have an amazing haircut, it looks great! :)

    Recently I have started as a guest designer for a famous bag brand and my first design of a belt bag is out! <3 I would love to hear what you think about it! :)
    Hope to see you soon on my blog
    www.beneaththecoat.com
    Bloglovin
    Facebook :)

    Kisses from Zurich,
    K

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  19. Wow, Nancy! I'm so proud of you! Props to you for paying it forward. If we all did one good deed like this per day...the world would be a better place:). I've been toying with the idea of donating my hair too, but unfortunately....I haven't taken the best care of it. It's long, but probably not very healthy. I'm going this saturday so we'll see what the stylist said. Thank you for inspiring me! The cut is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!

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  20. this is such a sweet post! your short hair is amazing! love it
    kelseybang.com

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  21. Your new cut is so chic! I love that you donated to such a great cause :)

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  22. such a great cause. i would love to donate my hair but it's so damaged and dry and color treated. i love your due diligence with all your research!

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